I am usually one of the last guys to jump into new technology. New ideas? Yes. New management techniques? Yes. But new technology? I’ll admit I am resistant to change. But several months ago, I jumped out of my comfort zone with both feet. Last summer I bought a drone — the DJI Mini Pro […] Read more
The high-tech redneck
Steve Kay turns to drones to check fences and top-dress pastures
Farmers need nitrogen
Let’s focus on increasing the carbon content in our soils
There sure is a lot of fuss about nitrogen right now. Farmers are protesting the new rules about nitrogen use and I get it. When your way of life is jeopardized, it is only natural to push back. I want to stress that we can’t forget about the human element in this situation. For years, […] Read more
Mentoring the mentors
Opportunity awaits farmers who want to learn how to develop and plan an advanced grazing system
I started farming on my own back in 1996. I was fresh out of college and had a huge passion for grazing. I was very lucky to have a lot of great mentors who were patient enough to put up with my never-ending questions. I was eager and I just could not get enough education […] Read more
Steve Kenyon: The disposable herd
Managing the spring flush the key to fall grazing
We have a very short growing season here at Busby, Alta. We start to green up at the end of April or in early May and are usually hit with a killing frost by mid-September. We have about five months to grow 12 months’ worth of feed. Now, some might take that as a disadvantage. […] Read more
No more baby steps
From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon
The light bulb did not get invented by incrementally increasing the brightness of the candle. This is a quote attributed to Oren Harari. What he is referring to is the fact that most breakthroughs do not come from aiming for incremental improvements. We need big steps that come from complete mindset changes. For example, using […] Read more
I do everything, sometimes
From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon
There has been a long-time, ongoing debate on how to regeneratively graze. Which is the right way? Who should you follow? There are many different schools of thought out there by several very experienced graziers on how to properly graze, but which method is the best? I have attended a lot of different schools on […] Read more
The drought of 2021
From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon
Well, that was one for the books. It will be referred to for years to come as the drought of 2021. I “herd” it was a one-in-100-year drought in my area. Hay production was about a quarter of normal. Pastures browned off in July. Dugouts and water sources are dry all over the place. We […] Read more
Dealing with livestock stressors
From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon
A happy cow is a healthy cow. I can’t remember the first time, but I have heard that saying many times over the years. On my ranch, I have found it very beneficial to keep the livestock as stress-free as possible. When we talk about animal stress, most people think about animal handling when processing […] Read more
What is custom grazing?
From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon
Custom grazing is an arrangement or contract between two parties where a livestock owner pays grazing fees to another for the management of the animals on pasture. The custom grazier would have control of the land, manage the animals, and deal with water and fencing. The labour and equipment costs would be included in the […] Read more
Kenyon: The job interview
From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon
GPR: Good Morning. Welcome to Greener Pastures Ranching. Thanks for taking the time to come in for this interview. AMF: Good morning. I was so excited to get your call. I’m sure you had a lot of resumés and a lot of great candidates apply for this job. GPR: We have multiple positions available so […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
